Who Moved My Cheese – Lessons for the One Afraid of Change

I found myself reading this book yesterday afternoon and wondered how come after all these years I’m now getting to read the book. I had encountered it with friends but never bothered to ask any more information about it as the title didn’t sound too catchy to me back then, unlike the way it’s jumping at me now that I’ve devoured the contents. Thinking about how short and concise the story is, makes me more ashamed for not having read it earlier. But the fun part of life is that everything happens for a reason and in a specific season. This is the time I needed the info and it has come just at the right time. Edward, thanks for recommending the book to me. I really appreciate it. I hope you enjoy the few lessons I’m gonna share and find a way and time to download the book and read it. Cheers, and enjoy!

“The only constant in life is change”. Change is an inevitable occurrence in the life of every individual Homo sapiens species in the world. In as much as it is inevitable and very constant, it has two sides: for the best or worst. Whichever one you experience is solely your decision. I have experienced some frightening changes as well as exciting ones, there have been times when the change was welcomed wholeheartedly, other times it was so difficult to accept the change and move on. Some of those difficult times saw me writing posts like “Letting go” and “Ultimate Feelings“. Fast forward today and I’ve found a way to accommodate those changes and forge ahead. There’s an interesting read here on Huffington Post about accepting change: 3 Ideas to Accept Change In Life and In Yourself.

Notice the little changes to be ready for the big ones: Before any huge, life-transforming, mind-boggling change hits you, you often have had an inkling that it was coming. You just chose to ignore it or accept it. And for most people, it’s easier to ignore the change than to accept it. This is mainly because you have no idea what exactly the change is bringing in its stead. The fear of the unknown stifles your creativity, joy, peace and ability to grow as it prevents you from willingly accepting change. To make it a little easier to adapt to change therefore, you should always be awake and aware of your surroundings, emotions and situations, this would enable you to sniff change even when it’s a long distance away, sniffing it will give you time to strategize and get ready to hit the ground running when the change finally manifests.

2. Learn to laugh at yourself often, it sometimes makes change easier to approach: One thing that most people find difficult to do is to laugh at their own mistakes. In the world, people aren’t hailed for their mistakes, they are hailed for their “seemingly” perfect lives (even if it is a life of lies). “A truly brave person is the one able to laugh at his own mistakes, not to derision but rather growth. That man is he who will be able to conquer his fears and deal with any challenges that come his way“. The distinctive thing about change is that it could either go well or awry, you choose! “Change is always in your subconscious, waiting to pounce on you like a prey or support you achieve your goals. If you play well, you might just get out of the prey area“.

3. Watch what you hold on to and learn to let go: One of the characteristics of change is letting go. Holding on for just a little longer puts you at risk of losing out on the benefits of whatever change you experience. Letting go can either be you doing away with stuff that has the potential of harming you in the now or later; or making way for something better than what you have. You can’t adopt change without letting go, you would need to be consistently and constantly aware of the kind of things you are holding on to. Be able to determine which one would be for your good and which one would not. Stay in the realistic realm, it’s great to have a great imagination, let that imagination be one that spurs you on towards letting go, don’t let it imprison you to the same situation by thinking that things could get better if the situation remains the same. You don’t need a weirdo from Mars or Pluto to come explain to you that facing the fears of letting go actually have much more benefits than blindly and stubbornly holding on. Even if it doesn’t bring about the results you hoped for, it gives you an invaluable lesson that you wouldn’t have any other way — experience. Even though this lesson itself can hinder change, it can be the tool that allows you to make that final switch between hanging on for dear life or letting go and developing wings to fly.

Credit: http://once-upon-an-imagine.tumblr.com

4. Don’t get comfortable with change: Change is the only constant in life. It’s quite easy to get very comfortable in a situation after you feel you have conquered it. But it’s important to be a soldier that is always prepared for war, there’s resting time, and at the same time, there’s no time to slack. Keep your eyes open, keep your mind alert, your heart wary, train your nose to smell the cheese to know when it’s getting old. “Keep a cool head. Stay alert. The devil is poised to pounce and would like nothing better than to catch you napping. Keep your guard up” — 1 Peter 5: 8 (MSG). When you rest your oars, it doesn’t mean that all the factors that roll into that single condition called “challenge”, “trouble”, “change” would also go for a short commercial break. Things are always moving, so long as Christ isn’t in yet, time is running rapidly to go meet him (literally). Don’t be left behind. Position yourself for the change(s) that lie ahead of you. Anticipate them and prepare adequately to meet them. Don’t get too comfortable in your zone.

“What you are afraid of is never as bad as what you imagine. The fear you let build up in your mind is worse than the situation that actually exists.” Spencer Johnson, Who Moved My Cheese?

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About Mawuenam Agbozo

I am passionate about one thing: purpose. It is the reason I write, smile and live life. I enjoy working with you to tell your personal or brand story in a human-centred way that compels your audience or customers to root for you always. Let's surely work together sometime.